Alder has always lived in his cozy little house in Southern California. And for as long as he can remember, the old, reliable, comforting walnut tree has stood between his house and the one next door. That is, until a new family--with a particularly annoying girl his age named Oak--moves into the neighboring house and, without warning, cuts it down. As Oak and Alder start school together, they can't imagine ever becoming friends. But the two of them...

Lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him. Virgil feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia is deaf, smart, and loves everything about nature. Kaori is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet wishes the weird kids would just stop being...

Twelve-year-old Anna's friend Andee spearheads a campaign to bring Fan from China to Cincinnati on a year-long cultural exchange, but before Fan even arrives Anna's concerned that Andee and Fan are too different to get along.

"Molly gets things stuck in her head sometimes. When she sees a jar of candy on Principal Shelton's desk, she absolutely needs to know how many candies are in that jar! Luckily, her two best friends, Simon and Rosie, are ready to help her find the answer--even if it means detention for all of them!"--

Eleven-year-old P.T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a fact: the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There's only one thing the Wonderland doesn't have, though--customers. And if the Wonderland doesn't get them soon, P.T. and...

Ty can't wait to ride his new scooter, but when he has a hard time learning and wants to quit, a new friend encourages him to give it another try.

When three children are introduced to new classmates from different ethnic backgrounds, they strive to overcome their initial reactions and to understand, accept, and welcome Maria, Jin, and Fatima.

Ty turns an ordinary day in the sandbox into a fun beach day: he wiggles his toes in the sand, finds seashells, builds a castle, and splashes in the ocean. When his neighbor's beach ball flies into his backyard, Ty learns that a beach day is even better with a friend.

The twelve kids in the seventh grade at Fawn Creek K-12 have been together all their lives so when graceful Orchid Mason arrives, with exotic clothes and glorious hair, the other seventh graders do not know what to think.

"After being forced to leave her space-colony home when her dad was fired, Amy starts to adapt to a new life on Earth. High school seems difficult at first, but a close group of friends begin to make the transition easier for her"--